“If he needed you, he would have called,” she whispered to herself. She spun in her chair, letting the sharp points of her heels drag across the plastic mat under the chair.
“I’m headed to lunch. Would you cover reception for me?” Agnes asked as she poked her head in the office.
Startled by the intrusion, Mila jumped in her seat. “Uh. Sure. How long?”
It wasn’t as if it mattered. She was basically twiddling her thumbs today.
Agnes smiled. “Well, while the cat’s away I was thinking about getting my nails done at lunch today. Would you mind if I were gone for an hour or so?”
Mila waved her on. “Sure. Go ahead. I’ll cover for you.” She gathered her things to relocate to the reception area while Agnes was gone.
“Thanks, honey. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” The older woman seemed to suddenly have an added bounce in her step as she tapped the elevator button.
Mila glanced around Agnes’s workspace. It was tidy. Her main responsibility was to answer the incoming calls and direct clients to conference rooms when they arrived for an appointment.
She scrolled over the appointments on today’s calendar. Crawford’s schedule was empty. She dipped lower to read Agnes’s scratchy handwriting. She had made notes in Crawford’s column on the architects’ main calendar.
Highland House
She bit her lower lip. Was he at Highland House? She wasn’t quite sure where the Highland family estate was located, only that Crawford mentioned it from time to time as his refuge.
She pictured him with his head buried over a sketch of the museum. Holed up in a dark cabin. Lonely. Hungry. His wide strong hands splayed over his drawing. His eyes stormy with frustration. She twisted her lips together.
The chime of the elevator doors pulled her to the present.
“Hey there, don’t usually see you up here.” The delivery man wielded a fat grin in her direction.
“Oh just filling in for Agnes during lunch break.”
He began to unload his cart next to the reception desk. “Not much today.”
Mila looked at the packages with disdain. Had she really fallen to mail girl? This crush was absurd.
She took the signature tablet from the carrier.
“Nice seeing a pretty face up here.” He winked.
“Er, thanks.” She handed it back to him. She noticed his eyes were stuck between her breasts. She had a sudden urge to fasten the top button of her collar, concealing her neck from him.
“Have a good day.” He waved before stepping on the elevator.
Mila groaned, thankful the doors closed, carrying him to another floor. The guy gave her the creeps.
She bent over the small stack of packages. There on top was one marked Crawford Highland. She retrieved it from the pile, flipping it over in her hands.
“Hmm.” She read the return address. It was from the museum board.
It had to be the contract. This was critical. She ripped it open, knowing Crawford would want the information inside. She skimmed the documents. Every page needed his initials.
She fumbled through her purse, searching for her phone. She pressed it against her ear as she waited for him to answer. It went straight to voicemail.
“Crawford, hey it’s Mila. The museum contracts just arrived at the office and they need your signature. Give me a call back with your address and I’ll overnight them to you.” She paused. “And thanks again for walking me to my car last night.” She hung up.
That was the dumbest thing she could have added to the message. She wondered if there was a way to call back and erase it, but instead she stared at the phone, waiting for him to call her back.
4
Crawford
It had been five hours at least since he locked himself in the studio. He felt the familiar pain return to his shoulders. The drawing was starting to take shape, but he knew it was shit. He needed a good run. Crawford stretched his arms over his head, ready to let his bear out. Not in the house, though. It was one of the house rules. No animals allowed inside.
He jogged down the stairs and walked through the garage into the backyard. There was a garden that seemed to always have some kind of herb or vegetable in season. He passed it on his way into the woods.
He pulled his T-shirt over his head and folded it in his hands. He unbuckled his belt, unsnapped his jeans, and stepped out of his pants. He laid the empty clothes on a gnarled stump. For a second he let the crisp air circle his human body. The rigid muscles of his torso. The deep V of his hipbones. The bulge of his biceps.
He smiled as he let his bear take control of his body. He loved the force at which the animal erupted. It was powerful and beautiful. He felt strong and invincible as his bear. He rambled through the forest, knowing he was the fiercest creature in the woods.
He had decided he wasn’t going to return to Seattle until the museum drawing was completed. Once he had the final sketch, he would have to turn it over to the digital team who would provide the specs and begin compiling material numbers needed for the budget. He was holding up the entire process, damn it.
He barreled through the trails, kicking dirt and stones under his paws as he ran deeper into the depths of his childhood stomping grounds. He needed this. Fresh air. Space. Road to let his bear run.
* * *
Mila
Mila looked at the documents in her hand. It was five o’clock and still no word from Crawford. She had left a second message an hour ago. If he didn’t sign the documents the contract could go to another firm. She glanced at his empty office. If he hadn’t taken off so suddenly this wouldn’t be a problem.
She watched as one by one the office employees shut down their computers for the day and began to leave. Some had kids to pick up at daycare. Some had dinner to prepare for their husbands. Some had soccer practice or even a date after work. She tapped her nails on her desk. She had a lonely apartment.
“That’s it,” she whispered. “He needs these papers.” She shoved the envelope into her messenger bag, turned off her lamp, and locked the door.
As she crossed the parking lot the plan came together. She would drive straight to Highland House, hand the documents to Crawford to sign, and be back in Seattle tonight before her bedtime. She could messenger them to the board in the morning. All problems averted.
She plugged her phone into the car’s battery charger. According the map it would take two hours from the office to make it to the cabin. She wasn’t exactly proud of how she had acquired the address. It had taken an hour of combing through Crawford’s desk before she found something with the address. But now that she had it, she knew it was imperative she use it. He would see her initiative. Her go-getter spunk. Her ability to identify a crisis and take action. At least, that’s what she told herself as she drove out of the city and toward Highland House.
* * *
Crawford
The run today had worked. His bear felt satisfied. Well, almost satisfied. Crawford felt the hunger for a mate clawing at him. He knew his she-bear was out there waiting for him. But he had to deal with that later. The firm was counting on this multi-million dollar deal to go through. It would bring in ten million from the start.
He threw a log on the fire, and watched as the flames danced around the dry timber, throwing sparks into the air. It was good to be home. He walked to the wine cellar below the kitchen in search of a bottle of red. He felt like a drink was in order.
As he climbed the stairs, he thought he heard a knock at the front door. He placed the bottle on the kitchen counter and hurried to the foyer.
He whipped the door open. He didn’t know what or who he expected to find on the front porch, but it sure as hell wasn’t Mila Lane.
“Mila?”
“Hey. I tried calling, but I couldn’t get you so I drove here and I kept driving and I thought I was lost, but I guess I wasn’t because I’m here. And you’re here, so I found it.” She laughed nervously.
He studied her. She was
wearing high heels. The little ones that fastened at her ankle. She must have come straight from work.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
“Oh.” She reached inside her bag. “I didn’t explain that part I guess. Here.” She shoved a mailing envelope in his hand. “It’s the contract for the museum. It has a seventy-two hour expiration on it, and I thought if you didn’t sign it then we could lose it and I know you don’t want to lose it.”
He took the package and flipped it over. “Why don’t you come in for a second?” He opened the door for her.
“Thanks. I think I drank three cups of coffee on the way over so I wouldn’t fall asleep and I might be a little jittery.” Her heels sounded hollow on the hardwood floors.
“I still don’t understand why you drove all the way out here. And how in the hell did you find me?”
She bit her lip. “I tried to call you. I left messages. Now we only have sixty-hours left to return the contract. I thought you would want them as soon as possible. I didn’t know any other way to get them signed.” She lowered her eyes. “I’m sorry. I know this is your private retreat.”
He shook his head. “No. Don’t apologize. It’s my fault. I knew they were being delivered today and I simply forgot. That was pretty shitty of me.”
He placed the envelope on the counter. “It’s not like I have a design to give them anyway. This might all be for nothing. Maybe I should let the contract default.”
“Don’t say that. You’ll come up with something.” She looked around the room, her eyes landing on the fire blazing in the hearth. “This place is gorgeous. How could you not find your inspiration here?” She stepped closer to the glow.
He chuckled. “That’s what I’m hoping.”
“It makes sense to me. The office has to be the hardest place for you to find your creative side.”
She stopped in front of the fire. The orange and red hues casting golden flecks in her hair. Crawford’s breath hitched in the back of his throat for a second, and he felt a fleeting sensation from his bear. He shook his head.
“You think so?” He followed her footsteps to the mantle.
“Of course. How is anyone supposed to focus with the phone constantly ringing and people popping in your office? It’s insanity in there.” She turned to face him and he noticed the green in her eyes for the first time. They were like rich emeralds.
He shook his head again. “Yes. Exactly. I needed a break.” He took a step toward the couch. “Thought I’d clear my head.” He walked toward the kitchen. “I just brought up a bottle of red from the wine cellar. Would you like a glass?”
He busied himself in the kitchen trying to find the wine opener. He didn’t know which one of his brothers had misplaced it. He pulled it triumphantly from the spatula drawer.
“I guess one glass wouldn’t hurt. But just one.” Mila held up a finger. “I have to drive back tonight.”
He fastened the corkscrew and pulled the cork from the bottle with ease. The aroma filled his nostrils. He loved red wine. It was thick and hearty, full of life. He filled two goblets from the cabinet and walked back into the great room.
It was odd seeing Mila here. She was always in the office before him each morning, greeting him with his favorite coffee. Her smile was usually the first thing he saw when he stepped off the elevator. But here, it seemed out of place.
He crossed the room and handed her a goblet.
“Thank you.” She smiled. “Mmm, this is amazing. I love reds. Not that I don’t drink white wine, because I do, but red is just…soothing, fulfilling. You know?”
He gulped a swallow. “I do know.”
He sat on the couch across from her. She crossed one leg over the other, and he saw a hint of skin between her legs. He heard the slight rumble from his bear, and he felt the need to lock him up. He was starting to cause problems. He shouldn’t be looking at Mila’s legs.
“You didn’t miss much at the office today.” Mila nervously reported the rundown from the firm. He listened as she told him about how one copy machine spit out half a ream of paper. How the accounting department issued a memo on saving money on paper, and how two people were out with strep throat.
“Yeah, sounds like I chose a good day to skip.” He grinned. The wine was starting to warm him.
Mila laughed. “I guess everybody deserves to skip work every once in a while.” She rested her empty goblet on the coffee table. “Even the boss.”
“Oh, I think especially the boss.” Crawford stood. “Let me get another glass for you.” He walked into the kitchen and returned with the open bottle.
“No. I can’t. I have to drive back.” She held her hand over the glass. “With that contract.”
“Drive back tonight?” He looked at the clock. “I don’t think I can send you out on these roads at this hour. There are no lights until you get to the main road and I’m not particularly interested in my assistant dropping off one of the ravines.”
“Really? You think I should stay?” Her eyes widened.
He nodded. “There are twenty rooms in this house. You can take your pick. But, no way am I letting you drive after dark out here.” He filled her goblet to the top, satisfied she had stopped protesting. “You’re an early bird. You can take off in the morning.”
“If you really think so.” She touched the wine to her lips, and he noticed the flush on her cheeks, the fullness of her mouth, and the pink of her warm skin.
Shit. He knew what his bear was doing. Hungry for a woman, he was trying to convince him Mila would do. No. That wasn’t how it was going to happen. He would know when he found his mate. It would be magical and poetic. It wasn’t going to be the young office assistant. No, that’s not how this would happen.
5
Mila
She didn’t mean to stare at him, but she couldn’t help it. After a year of dreaming of all the possible scenarios that would lead her to this moment, she couldn’t believe she was going to be sleeping under the same roof as Crawford.
He paced in front of the fire. “What else happened at the office today?” he asked.
She had thought he was bored with her work stories, but he asked with such sincerity. “Not much. Really I think I said everything.”
He looked over her shoulder. “Did you go over the contract?” He walked to the counter and returned to the living room with the documents in his hand. He seemed to suddenly be on a work rampage. He sank to the couch.
She nodded. “I did. It’s everything you told me should be there. I read it twice.”
He held the pages closer to the fire, illuminating the words. “Mmm. Yep. Looks good. I’ll sign it and you can take it to the board in the morning.”
“Of course. I’ll hand deliver it if you want me to.”
“Yes. Please.”
“Anything else you need me to do at the office while you’re here?” she asked.
It was as if when she was near him she couldn’t think of anything else but to help him. Be someone he needed. Someone he could count on. Someone he could depend on when other people let him down. Sometimes it came out sounding silly or desperate, but all she wanted to do was make him happy. Make him smile.
“I think that’s it. I just need to focus on the design, so if you could handle everything else for me, that would be good.” He stood from the couch. “I think I’m going to turn in for the night.”
“You are?” She didn’t mean to sound surprised.
He yawned, his massive chest expanding with breath. “Yeah. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Wait.” She stood, almost tipping the wine glass over. She didn’t know how to ask. This was awkward. “I drove straight from work. All I have is this.” She ran her hands over her hips. For a second she thought she saw a spark in his eyes. “Any chance there’s an old shirt or something I could borrow?”
“Oh right. Umm. Hold on.”
Crawford raced up the stairs and returned a few seconds later with a shirt. “Here. It’s o
ne of my old T-shirts from high school. You can sleep in it. And we have a ton of those little travel things under the guest sink. Toothbrushes. Toothpaste. You name it.”
She took the shirt from his hands. “Thank you. This will be great. I can’t promise how I’ll look in the morning.” She giggled.
He turned for the stairs. “Good night, Mila.”
“Good night, boss.”
She watched as the tall architect ascended the staircase, leaving her holding his shirt. She hadn’t thought this out very well. She was shacked up in the family cabin with the man of her dreams but without a stick of concealer, mascara, or her favorite white tea shampoo. Not to mention, she was going to have to wear the same outfit to drive back to Seattle in the morning.
She climbed the stairs, knowing in one of these rooms Crawford would be getting ready for bed. She sighed.
* * *
Crawford
Damn it. He paced in front of his dresser. His shirt was tossed over the bedpost. He looked at the door. She would be on her way to bed soon too. Mila would be sleeping under his roof. Her beautiful curves under the sheets. Her breasts nestled inside his T-shirt. Her bare legs naked in one of the guest beds.
His hand landed on the doorknob. His bear was playing with him. He could take her, taste her, enjoy for the night, and send her back to Seattle in the morning. But the fucking drama that would cause at work would be a nightmare.
No. He pulled from the doorknob as if it were on fire. He couldn’t do that to her. She was a good girl. He knew when he hired her last year that she was overqualified for the assistant’s position. She had a design degree from Seattle’s premier school. She had interned at a top firm. Her portfolio was impressive for someone so young. Yet, knowing her dreams, he hired her to fetch his coffee and answer his phone.
The Steel Bear: A BBW Bear Shifter Romance (Highland Brothers) Page 2